Today the 17th of July, I will be meeting some Forest Service and AMC workers to do some trail work.  We will be working to install rock steps and waterbars and handrails.  We will be on the Jackson/Webster trail, which I have never been on before.  I have scaled down my equipment, have a new backpack and am ready to go.  The trail looks steep, or I guess they wouldn't need the steps :-)

Wish me luck!

What a great day on the trail.  I followed Bailey up the trail, by quite a distance.  I weighed my cameras, I have 25-30 pounds of camera gear in the bag, PLUS food, water emergency gear and the bag itself, so it hits almost 50 pounds.  My new pack is hurting my shoulders, I wonder if I have it set up right, or if I just need to adjust my back :-)  not used to carrying such a heavy load everyplace.  So I am looking to save weight in the gear.  Carbon tripod saves over 2 pounds!  different lens set will save a couple pounds too...every little bit helps.

The trail crew today was installing rock steps.  What a chore!  Each step was to be dug out underneath so the stone would only hit at 3 points and wouldn't move when jumped on, NOT a little itty bitty bit!  so it was roll the stone in, jump, roll the stone out, excavate, roll the stone in and repeat until it didn't move any more.  Six-Four  (trail name, and height) worked all day on a stone.  IF done properly the stones won't move for decades if ever.  The trail work manual doesn't exist other than with the men and women that work making the trails.  Young men and women dedicated to the physical labor, each enjoyed the work some have been doing this for more than one season.

DSC02095   Watch one day's work from 9 till 3 on just a few steps! 

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I was impressed with their grit, and their determination!  I found some great things to photograph other than the work, the number of Mushrooms!  and they stunk like rotting animals.  EEEWWW.  But they were Great to look at.   And Clover flowers, I have been noticing them all summer, and hadn't realized what they were, Little white flowers with pink details.  They don't look like other clover flower I have seen, but that was the only green around, so when I got back to the stuio I looked it up.  Some are other colors too, yellow and pink. 

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I am sore from the hike back out, I fell on my but!  Ill be fine, with a few aspirin :-)